Writing in Restaurants: Essays and Prose

by David Mamet

"Essays in direct line from Stanislavsky, Chekhov, Shaw, and Brecht"
—Mike Nichols

A collection of essays from Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Mamet adressing many issues in contemporary American theater

Temporarily putting aside his role as playwright, director, and screen-writer, David Mamet digs deep and delivers thirty outrageously diverse vignettes. On subjects ranging from the vanishing American pool hall, family vacations, and the art of being a bitch, to the role of today's actor, his celebrated contemporaries and predecessors, and his undying commitment to the theater, David Mamet's concise style, lean dialogue, and gut-wrenching honesty give us a unique view of the world as he sees it.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Writing, Theatre, Film, Art, Drama

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

David Alan Mamet is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director. His works are known for their clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue and arcane stylized phrasing, as well as for his exploration of masculinity.

As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997).

Mamet's recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, an acerbic commentary on the movie business.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came away thinking, that most of what Mamet shared were the cranky recollections of an old white guy for the good old days. Moreover, it is tiring to read the many times he complains that these times are depraved and depressing.

I would give this essay within, Decay: Thoughts for Actors, 4-stars as valuable. Both has a critique of our culture that constantly pushes for growth and a statement as the purpose of stage craft. This gem is so buried in muck, I can only average it all out to 2-stars.

I read this as an accompaniment to a playwriting class. Reading this collection is helpful in understanding Mamet's POV in his plays.

[Alexandra Petri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because it was short.

Never read books because they're short.

In fairness, I enjoy Mamet as a playwright and I always like to see the theories by which great writers do their writing. Sometimes they surprise you -- Auden's criticism I could read all day long, every day -- sometimes they live up to Plato's old adage that the last possible person you should ask about how poetry ought to work is a poet. They don't know, either. All they know is that it comes to them.

I'm paraphrasing, of course, but that's how this one struck me.

I did enjoy his notes about the incantatory, rule-setting power of words at an early age, and the diary from the making of an 80s movie about an Iceman was hilarious in terms of how seriously everyone seemed to be taking the process.

His piece on the Oscars as a modern religious ritual is great if you want to be That Guy With The Deep Serious Metaphysical Theory Of The Oscars who is ruining the party and making everyone else huddle around the dip. Actually, if you are That Guy, you'd probably like this whole book.

If not, give it a pass and read a play instead. In those, he knows what he's talking about.

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

there are some really great ideas about theatre and ritual and human psyche that could have been a couple of succinct essays but was instead spread across this smattering of nonsense.
plus he's all "if you cannot deal with human beings with love than you cannot deal with them at all" and then he's like "except homosexuals"

[Cameron Barham]

“‘Play well, or play badly, but play truly.’ Try as one might, one cannot escape the temporal exigencies; all the polish in the world will not mitigate the fact of Death or the reality of a mutable universe. You can’t make it so pretty that it goes away, all you can do is live the moment fully and avow the finite and fleeting nature of consciousness.”, p. 29 in “Stanislavsky and the American Bicentennial”

[Heidi Bakk-Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I enjoyed Glengarry Glen Ross (as performed by an all-female cast), which is the only Mamet play I've ever seen. Also because I once ran in the same social circle as his sister. But recently Mamet said some stupid old-man things, and so I decided to read this and thus rid my shelves of it. It was a skimming read, because I'm not an actor, not into theater, and a lot of the essays are him opining boringly about his profession. Anyway, looks like he's been an angry old man since he was about 30 years old.

[The Warped One · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The pursuit of fashion is the attempt of the middle class to co-opt tragedy.”

There are so many great thoughts in this book, it reminds you what makes Mamet so great. There are also quite a few thoughts that betray a dated mindset of an adult in the 80s. Phrasing, concepts that seem dated and even cruel at times. I don’t see these as faults of the author, but as a a reflection of the faults of the era in which he writes. Overall enjoyable and insightful, his storytelling as always is sublime.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not know what to expect, but learned a lot about American theatre--or rather about what it should be like. The writings are mostly prescriptive rants about the world of acting, but Mamet shows depth too. Although not very original, he articulates the problem of consumerism well. Really a shame that he has joined the ranks of people worried about an imaginary 'woke' movement. Maybe some of that is discernible already here, 40 years ago, if you read the essays with hindsight (as I did).

[Stanley Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work was recommended by Steven Pressfield, and i finally got around to giving it a read. I really enjoyed many of the essays, especially the essays on the theatre. Although, I did not participate in professional theatrical adventures, I acted in several community plays and enjoyed it tremendously. Highly recommended...SLT

[Harrison G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was enjoyable, as a lover of Mamets screenplays I really dug his perspective and often goofy views. The slower parts were about the theater, which I am less invested in than film, and that is a large chunk of this short collection. However, it was consistent in wit and disregard for anyones opinons other than his own, and that, at the very least, is entertainment. Maybe. lol. 4/5 stars.

[James Binz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm such a big fan of Mamet. This is an excellent philosophy on writing and acting. He digs deep into the holiness of the vocation and challenges the reader (and writer) to journey with him to a new and difficult place. I feel that I understand the challenge of writing better after reading this one. And I love to actually write in restaurants.

[Alex Gherzo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing in Restaurants isn't one of Mamet's better writings. It's often dry and scattershot and comes off more as ramblings than as a coherent collection of essays. There are a few good ones, like Mamet's recollection of a forced family vacation, and he has some insightful things to say about theater and art, but it's not one you'll want to revisit.

[Crista Cloutier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I wanted to finish this book. It did make me want to write for the theater or even radio, but that's not what i'm focused on right now so I've had to set it aside.

[Amanda Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mamet is prosaic even in his demands for simplicity. His complex and hard-won premises sometimes conflict (and, occasionally, are horribly outdated), but for the vast majority of the time, his bitter pills are honest and sound advice to the actor climbing up the hill of making art.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vaneggi vaneggi vaneggi. Episodi sconnessi, cosa voleva dire questa raccolta di saggi? Bo, ogni tanto dice cose intelligenti ma in generale non ho capito dove volesse andare a parare. Sono proprio note sconnesse.

[KathleenW · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too interesting stories. Opinion and observations of a guy in the 1980s. Perhaps at the time or closer to that era would’ve felt more interesting. Some of the theater/oscars essays were not interesting to me at all. Just my opinion -some may find it fabulous.

[Aaron Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of this comes across as strident, but Mamet has real, earned convictions and clarity of thought. His valuation of honesty, and his dedication to it, are inspiring in a culture of convenience, escapism and wish fulfillment.

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Tom Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's refreshing to hear the famed writer's views on various aspects of life.

[Mike Hammer · Rating 2 out of 5]

a few funny lines
and interesting thoughts
but not my fav mamet thing
he needs to stick to fiction probably

[G Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, honest prose by a master. Respect!!

[Ran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mamet is Mamet. I like him. The essays about art are among his very best.

[Sidney, uh, Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wordsmith, an exhorter of theatrical depth, something of a huckster, and a mad genius.

[jay z]

Any mathematician will tell you that the cards at the poker table are distributed randomly, that we remember the remarkable and forget the mundane, and that “luck” is an illusion.

Any poker player knows—to the contrary—that there are phenomenal runs of luck which defy any mathematical explanation—there are periods in which one cannot catch a hand, and periods in which one cannot not catch a hand, and that there is such a thing as absolute premonition of cards: the rock bottom surety of what will happen next. These things happen in contravention of scientific wisdom and common sense. The poker player learns that sometimes both science and common sense are wrong; that the bumblebee can fly; that, perhaps one should never trust an expert; that there are more things on heaven and earth than are dreamt of by those with an academic bent.

[Unbridled · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essays. Mamet is at his best telling a story about something that happened to him and his opinions on theatre are interesting too; but he has a tendency to digress in a most plodding manner. The prose is inelegant, and you see immediately the difference between prose and (his strength) dialogue, which, though obvious, you do not necessarily expect until confronted with the evidence. I doubt he can write a good novel. He exhorts his philosophy of action, but his philosophizing seems to commit the act he argues against. In his favor, you do sense a sound and witty intelligence at work and that's a pleasure in its own right. Not warming your hands by the fire of a Mailer-like intellect, but certainly a good conversation over a beer.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, unabashed observations and critiques on a variety of subjects from a guy who loves theatre and holds it on a pedestal as an art form above all art forms. Which is probably why his essays relating to theatre are the most rewarding...although his pieces on pool halls and hunting are equally rewarding. But the language is dated and formal, so not all the essays are an easy read. Not as polished as his more recent essays, but whether you agree with him or not, he's always an interesting read, as he doesn't hold anything back.

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was given to me by a Mamet fan, and since I'd heard a bit about him I tried it out. I was assuming by the title that this was about writing, but it didn't come across like that to me. It was more thoughts on ideas/topics/etc some of which were entertaining and others I skimmed over. It was interesting reading someone else's thoughts, and reminded me of my college days sifting through the pages for meaning. I'm glad I picked it up but it was a tough read for me, even when I was only reading little bits. Maybe in the future I'll be more ready for this book, but at least I tried it.

[Kevin Revolinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short and sometimes random texts. Makes for a good bedside book to be read over time. Great thoughts about theatre and acting, of course, creativity and art, poker and his childhood, and a summary of his experience as a spectator on the set of the sci-fi movie Iceman, which starred his wife. A good bit of criticism of some aspects of American culture that, though written in the 1980s, ring very true in the 21st century. I'd love to hear what he thinks now.

[Josh Shelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mamet is awesome and holds a lot of strong opinions. Most of these essays focus on theater, but several can be applied to the state of art in general. The title essay and the one on Bitchiness were favorites of mine. Everything was well-written and enjoyable, even the few that were clearly just introductions to other plays.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

When you become famous you get to have your collected laundry lists, after-dinner speeches, and random samplings of hot air set down in book form, which is what this little collection of largely hyperbolic oddities represents. Damn, if only I were famous...

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok. some of Mamet's essays come off as preachy and naive. There are some great essays on the importance of integrity in theatre. His writing is so articulate and well crafted that it usually makes up for his high horse opinions.